


Back to the ranch

by Justanidiot



Series: The forgotten sons [2]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Glee, Iron Man (Movies)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-08
Updated: 2014-01-08
Packaged: 2018-01-08 00:45:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1126372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Justanidiot/pseuds/Justanidiot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Grant is actually surprised that it took this long for his father to leave, his dad is usually only a fleeting presence anyway but he thought his dad would at least stay until Blaine was a month old.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Back to the ranch

Grant is actually surprised that it took this long for his father to leave, his dad is usually only a fleeting presence anyway but he thought his dad would at least stay until Blaine was a month old. 

Cooper was sitting on the armchair carefully holding a tiny Blaine close to his chest. Andrew was standing silently beside him looking at Blaine with curious eyes. Grant went to kneel beside him, “You know Andy, you can touch him if you want” Grant said prompting him to touch the youngest Stark.  
“Rweally?” Andrew asked looking weary.  
“Go on” Grant said.  
Andrew reached out a pudgy finger and stroked Blaine’s rounded cheek.  
“Is he soft?” Grant asked.  
Andrew nodded his head and smiled at his big brother.  
“Gwant when’s daddy coming home?” Andrew asked curiously.  
Grant could see Cooper look up at him, he too looking curious.  
“Ermh I don’t uh know” Grant stuttered.

Their mother and father had had a massive fight that morning and their father had left, their mother also went to a friend’s house not long after so Grant being the eldest at twelve was in charge.

It was about five o’clock when their mother arrived home, Blaine was asleep in his bouncer and Andrew was curled up on the couch with his teddy bear watching cartoons. Cooper and Grant were both drawing at the kitchen table.  
“Hi mama” Cooper called out when he heard the front door.  
“Hi baby” Rose said back while walking into the kitchen.  
“Was everything okay?” Rose asked Grant as she leaned down to kiss Cooper on the cheek.  
“Yeah but we ran out of all of those bottles” Grant said without looking up from his picture.  
“Where is Blaine?” Rose asked.  
“Asleep, can we have dinner now?” Grant looked up to face his mother.  
“Ofcourse” Rose ran her hand through Grant’s hair and then went about preparing dinner.

Grant stayed awake that night and listened from his open bedroom door as his mother spoke on the phone.  
“This is the last time”  
“No mama it really is”  
“Yeah I think it’s for the best”  
“It’ll only be for a few weeks”  
“Thanks mama”  
Grant slid his door shut silently and went back to his bed. He knows what happens now, it’s the same thing that happens every time. Their mom will drop them off at their grandma’s house in Texas and then they’ll go a few weeks without seeing or hearing from her and then eventually she’ll come and get them and drive them back to Malibu where their dad will be waiting with expensive presents and lengthy apologies and a million ‘I’ve missed you’” before going back to the office while they wait for the cycle to begin again. 

Grant was right because the next morning when they woke up their bags where already packed and Rose went about bundling all four of them into her car and setting off towards the highway.  
About four days and three crappy motel rooms later they were driving down the dirt road towards their grandma Lucille’s ranch.

Lucille Ward was an aging woman with grey hair, which was always pinned back into a loose bun. She wore a pair of dungarees that folded just below her knees and had multiple patches sown over what would have once been holes and tears. Lucille’s face always held a cheery smile, especially when it came to her grandsons.

Lucille was standing outside waiting for them with outstretched arms waiting for her grandsons to run into them.  
Rose didn’t stay long as she was gone before the boys woke up the next morning. 

It was about a week into their stay at the ranch when Cooper suggested calling their father.  
“Can we call daddy please” The eight year old asked from over his cereal bowl.  
“I don’t know the number sweets, I’m sorry” Lucille said while stroking Cooper’s cheek.  
“Grant knows, Grant knows it!” Cooper shouted excitedly.  
“Do you?” Lucille asked.  
Grant simply nodded and Lucille handed the phone to him.  
“I wanna talk! I wanna talk” Cooper was shouting before Grant even finished dialling the number.  
“Hold on, I’ll put it on speaker” Grant said shh-ing him, Andrew was now standing beside him with wide eyes waiting patiently.  
“Hello you’ve reached Tony Stark’s office, how can I help you?” Came a cheery voice on the other end.  
“Hello” Grant said shyly.  
“May I ask who’s calling?”  
“Ermh Grant, is my dad there?”  
“I’m sorry sugar, who’s your dad?”  
“Er Tony”  
“Well Mr Stark is in a meeting right now but I’ll tell him you called”  
“Thank you ma’am”  
Grant hung up the phone and looked to his grandmother who was staring at him with a small sad smile.  
“What happened?” Cooper asked with a frown, Grant could see Andrew’s lip wobbling from beside him.  
“Er he’s busy” Grant said quickly.  
Andrew’s eyes began to fill with tears and Cooper was looking close to crying also.  
“It’s okay we’ll try again later, c’mon Coop, Andy you can come help me feed the chickens” Grant stood up quickly and reached for Andrew’s hand hoping to distracted them long enough to forget about calling again.

Rose came back the Friday before Andrew’s fourth birthday. She came with a bright smile and story of how she and Tony worked it out and how it was for real this time. She again packed the boys into her car and brought them back to Malibu. 

They celebrated Andrew’s birthday with a party and a clown that he was terrified by, He spent the most part of the party hiding behind Tony’s suit clad leg, clinging for dear life.  
They moved to Miami three months later, leaving Tony behind and vowing to start a new life together. They stayed there for nearly a year before they moved back to Malibu. Rose and Tony still fought a lot and we’re hardly home but they preferred it there, sure they had a nanny they hated but it was nice living together as a family.

**Author's Note:**

> I was toying around with adding another brother for a while and Andrew seemed like the perfect fit. He's another crossover but that won't be coming up for another while. This is kinda just a short insight into their childhood, with Grant acted like a parent way before his time. This is set around 1995, Grant is 12, Cooper is 8, Andrew is 3 and Blaine is about three weeks old. Please comment!!


End file.
